Mapping Heat Resistance in YeastsIn a proof-of-concept study, researchers demonstrated that a new genetic mapping strategy called RH-Seq can identify genes that promote heat resistance in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, allowing this species to grow better than its closest relative S. paradoxus at high temperatures.

First Monoploid Reference Sequence of SugarcaneFor the highly polyploid sugarcane, an international team of researchers has successfully assembled a first monoploid reference sequence using a targeted approach that focused on the gene rich part of the genome by harnessing information from a sequenced related species – sorghum.

Defining a Pan-Genome for Antarctic ArchaeaSome Antarctic lakes have salinities 10 times that of seawater. By collecting and sequencing dominant haloarchaeal sequences from six hypersaline lakes, researchers focused on understanding the genomic variation in haloarchaea across East Antarctica.

Methane Flux in the AmazonWetlands are the single largest global source of atmospheric methane. This project aims to integrate microbial and tree genetic characteristics to measure and understand methane emissions at the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

Insights into Functional Diversity in NeurosporaThis proposal investigates the genetic bases of fungal thermophily, biomass-degradation, and fungal-bacterial interactions in Sordariales, an order of biomass-degrading fungi frequently encountered in compost and encompassing one of the few groups of thermophilic fungi.

Mining IMG/M for CRISPR-Associated ProteinsResearchers report the discovery of miniature CRISPR-associated proteins that can target single-stranded DNA. The discovery was made possible by mining the datasets in the Integrated Microbial Genomes and Microbiomes (IMG/M) suite of tools managed by the JGI. The sequences were then biochemically characterized by a team led by Jennifer Doudna’s group at UC Berkeley.

DAS Tool for Genome Reconstruction from MetagenomesThrough the JGI’s Emerging Technologies Opportunity Program (ETOP), researchers have developed and improved upon a tool that combines existing DNA sequence binning algorithms, allowing them to reconstruct more near-complete genomes from soil metagenomes compared to other methods. The work was published in Nature Microbiology.

Preparing for a Sequence Data DelugeThe approved CSP 2019 proposals leverage new capabilities and higher throughput in DNA sequencing, synthesis and metabolomics. Additionally, just over half of the accepted proposals come from primary investigators who have never led any previously accepted JGI proposal.

Innovative Technology Improves Our Understanding of Bacterial Cell SignalingCyclic di-GMP (Guanine Monophosphate) is found in nearly all types of bacteria and interacts with cell signaling networks that control many basic cellular functions. To better understand the dynamics of this molecule, researchers developed the first chemiluminescent biosensors for measuring cyclic di-GMP in bacteria through work enabled by the JGI’s Community Science Program (CSP).

Hidden Giants in Forest SoilsIn Nature Communications, giant virus genomes have been discovered for the first time in a forest soil ecosystem by JGI and University of Massachusetts-Amherst researchers. Most of the genomes were uncovered using a "mini-metagenomics" approach that reduced the complexity of the soil microbial communities sequenced and analyzed.

Symbiosis a Driver of Truffle DiversityTruffles are the fruiting bodies of the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal symbionts residing on host plant roots. In Nature Ecology & Evolution, an international team sought insights into the ECM lifestyle of truffle-forming species. They conducted a comparative analysis of eight Pezizomycete fungi, including four species prized as delicacies.

Expanding Fungal Diversity, One Cell at a TimeIn Nature Microbiology, a team led by JGI researchers has developed a pipeline to generate genomes from single cells of uncultivated fungi. The approach was tested on several uncultivated fungal species representing early diverging fungi.

Why Sequence Mesorhizobium ciceri by bisserulae?

Though nitrogen is an abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere, plants can’t use it unless it’s been converted into another form. An estimated 80 percent of the nitrogen “fixed” through biological means comes from the symbiosis between bacteria in the root nodules and legume plants such as lentils and peanuts. This relationship is thought to convert some 120 million tons of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia each year, saving farmers from having to buy billions of dollars worth of fertilizer that contains nitrogen annually. Increasing the amount of biologically fixed nitrogen could reduce the need for manufactured fertilizer by 160 million tons a year, which in turn reduces the annual need for fossil fuels to power the process by 270 million tons.

Biserrula pelenicus is a deep-rooted legume species in Australia and a key sustainable farming crop that thrives in acidic soil because of its interaction with the acid-tolerant symbiont Mesorhizobium ciceri by biserrulae. By studying the symbiont, researchers hope to gain a better understanding of how nitrogen fixation process is controlled. Researchers also want to study three strains of the symbiont can fix nitrogen with varying degrees of efficiency to better understand how it interacts with legumes and hopefully use that information to develop genetically stable bacterial strains that can fix nitrogen.